Websites from the ISKCON Universe
Srimad Bhagavatam class by H.H. Bhakti Brihad Bhagavat Swami given in ISKCON Vrindavan, 25.11.2017 (video)
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Food For All in Vraj 2017 (2 min video)
Parasuram das: Dear Devotees this Kartik an international group of devotees was fortunate to travel the 12 forests of Vraj. A strong kirtan party with members of the “Harinam Ruci” chanted up to 8 hours a day. 38,000 small books were distributed, this small book Raja Vidya was the same book that the devotees flooded the Allahabad Kamba Mela during Srila Prabhupada’s physical presence. Tonnes and tonnes of Krishna prasad were distributed. Books, Prasad and Harinam, Jai Srila Prabhupada.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/quYGUd
To go Up you have to go Down!
Sivarama Swami: In cities there are hundred-story buildings being built. But one thing that small and tall buildings have in common are foundations. In other words, before going up, you have to go down. It may appear contradictory, but that’s construction. And the further up you want to go — the taller the building you want to build, the deeper has to be your foundation.
Foundations are what hold up the building and its the same thing in life. If you have a goal, you have to set a foundation for it. If you want to be a surgeon, you have to invest in years of study and medical training. If you want to be a successful entrepreneur, you need to apprentice under one, learn the ropes and be patient.
These are the foundation.
So to go up to where we want to go, we always have to go down. And going down takes us to places that don’t always resemble our goal. Still,
that’s the foundation. And it’s the same with Yoga and with self-awareness. To really connect with the Supreme, we have to dutifully practice self-discipline, lead a regulated life and systematically study the truths of transcendence. These are foundations that will help us go up and connect with divinity.
To try to go up, without going down, is a waste of time. And to make an alternative to the authorised process… well its like building a house and
ignoring standard construction practices that are based on standard laws of physics and math. The result will be that the building will collapse and the builder will have wasted his time and money.
So remember, whatever your goal or goals in life are including selfawareness you need to do the standard, accepted methods of preparation.
Before going up, you have to go down.
– HH Sivarama Swami
Our family business!
Madhava Mohini and I were in Whangarei, New Zealand, for a week.
One fine evening, I met a man outside a K Mart in the Okara car park. He was just getting out of his car with his teenage son. He was big and bald, with tattoos, so I asked whether he was a monk or if it was just the haircut?
He laughed. I started presenting the books, and he agreed with everything. Keen to help us out with a donation, the man, Jimmy, sent his son to the ATM.
While his son was withdrawing cash, Jimmy told me that he is interested in the Vedas. I was surprised and asked him how he got interested. He said that he hangs out with some interesting people.
I showed him a copy of Searching for Vedic India, and he said, “I already got that book from someone in this car park a year ago.”
So this time Jimmy got a Bhagavad-gita and Hiding in Unnatural Happiness (HUH).
A few days later, Madhava and I were in Kaitaia. The streets were hot, dusty and noisy, with five-year-old kids performing Michael Jackson songs to raise funds for their school trip to Wellington, folks chatting outside a bakery, and a meat sizzle down the road. Madhava told me that it reminded her of India (minus the sausage sizzle).
While distributing in a car park, Madhava met a nice lady from Keri Keri doing her grocery shopping.
Shocked, Madhava asked her if she comes all the way to Kaitaia just to shop. The lady laughed and said “No, I work here, too.”
While Madhava was presenting the books, the lady said that actually she had just started to read the first page of the book HUH last evening and had then fallen asleep, but that she wanted to finish it because she thought it was a good book.
Madhava asked where she’d gotten the book, and she said her husband had received the books from a girl in an Okara car park a few days ago. This lady also was enthusiastic to give Madhava a donation and received a Bhagavad-gita.
Madhava described this to me later as we were driving home, and we realized that her husband was the Jimmy I had met. Husband, wife and teenage son all got a chance to do devotional service and now have a solid collection of Prabhupada’s books from different links in the chain of our family business.
Our family business, ki jaya!
By Mayapur Sasi dasa For the pleasure of Srila Prabhupada this report contains the following results of book distribution for the month of October 2017 from the whole planet. World Totals, Monthly Congregation and Weekend Warriors, Monthly Continents, Monthly Top Ten Temples by Size, Monthly Top Ten Temples by Continent, Monthly Top Teams and Individuals, Monthly All Countries, Monthly All Temples, Monthly All Prabhupada Disciples, Cumulative Top Ten Countries, Cumulative Top Ten Temples, Cumulative Top 50 Individuals Worldwide Continue reading "WSN October 2017 – World Sankirtan Newsletter
→ Dandavats"
Dhyani Devi Dasi’s Interview (video)
It was almost exactly a year ago that Dhyani first visited the Hare Krishna temple in Potomac Maryland. We discuss the events leading up to her visit, and her thoughts about future plans and involvement.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/jnQ1V3
Iskcon at the International Gita Jayanti Festival 2017 in Kurukshetra (4 min video)
H.G. Sakshi Gopal prabhu ( Temple President...
Please find below audio recordings of lectures and kirtans by Kadamba Kanana Swami during his visit to Australia in October 2017. Video recordings may be found on our Facebook page.
Download ALL (Zip file 2.3 GB)
KKS_Australia_Melbourne_20thOctober2017_HallProgram_Kirtan_GovardhanPuja_Adivas
KKS_Australia_Melbourne_20thOctober2017_HallProgram_Lecture_GovardhanPuja_Adivas
KKS_Australia_Melbourne_18thOctober2017_Lecture_SB_4.3.17
KKS_Australia_Melbourne_18thOctober2017_Kirtan
KKS_Australia_Melbourne_18thOctober2017_ShortLecture
KKS_Australia_Melbourne_17thOctober2017_Kirtan
KKS_Australia_Melbourne_17thOctober2017_Lecture
KKS_Australia_Melbourne_15thOctober2017_InitationCeremony_Lecture
KKS_Australia_Melbourne_15thOctober2017_InitationCeremony_Kirtan
KKS_Australia_Melbourne_15thOctober2017_Kirtan
KKS_Australia_Melbourne_15thOctober2017_Lecture
KKS_Australia_Melbourne_13thOctober2017_ Kirtan
KKS_Australia_Melbourne_13thOctober2017_Damodarastakam_and_Kirtan
KKS_Australia_Canberra_13thOctober2017_Lecture_SB_4.27.30
KKS_Australia_Canberra_12thOctober2017_Lecture_SB_4.27.29
KKS_Australia_Canberra_11thOctober2017_Lecture_SB_4.27.28
KKS_Australia_Canberra_11thOctober2017_Intro_to_Kirtan
KKS_Australia_Canberra_11thOctober2017 _Kirtan
KKS_Australia_Canberra_10thOctober2017_Lecture_SB_4.27.27
KKS_Australia_Canberra_10thOctober2017_Evening_Lecture_BG_2.38
KKS_Australia_Canberra_10thOctober2017_Damodarastakam
KKS_Australia_Canberra_8thOctober2017_Damodarastakam
KKS_Australia_Canberra_8thOctober2017_Evening_Lecture_BG_6.38
KKS_Australia_Canberra_7thOctober2017_Lecture_SB_4.27.25
KKS_Australia_Canberra_7thOctober2017_Damodarastakam
KKS_Australia_Canberra_7thOctober2017_Intro_to_Kirtan
KKS_Australia_Canberra_7thOctober2017_Kirtan
The post Daily Darshan: November 28,2017 appeared first on Mayapur.com.
I am pleased to encourage you to participate in the Prabhupada book-distribution marathon. Srila Prabhupada explains, “Srila Rupa Gosvami and Sanatana Gosvami had no fixed residence. They stayed beneath a tree for one day only and wrote huge volumes of transcendental literature. . . . It is certainly not good to write literature for money or reputation, but to write books and publish them for the enlightenment of the general populace is real service to the Lord. That was Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati’s opinion, and he specifically told his disciples to write books.” (Cc Madhya 19.132 purport)
This is parampara. Srila Rupa Gosvami and Sanatana Gosvami and all the Gosvamis wrote books for the enlightenment of the general populace, and that instruction and practice came down through parampara to Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, who wrote many books and instructed his disciples to write books. And Srila Prabhupada faithfully followed those instructions and also wrote many books. In fact, it is inconceivable that anyone could write so many books in such a short time.
Srila Prabhupada came to America in 1965, and from the very beginning in New York City he was selling his books. Years later, when devotees were doing research about Prabhupada’s life, they went to some bookstores where he had sold his books, and the shopkeepers remembered, “Oh yes, a very nice Indian gentleman came, and he would always give us samosas.” He would give them samosas when he went to sell them his books.
Prabhupada said that from the very beginning the basis of his movement was book distribution—the publication and distribution of books—and he showed that example.
In the same purport, Prabhupada explains further, “[T]he business of advanced and empowered devotees is to write books, publish them, and distribute them widely.”
Prabhupada wrote books, the BBT has published them, and now it is for us to distribute them. This is “the business of advanced and empowered devotees.” We are all already connected to Srila Prabhupada, and we all will benefit when we distribute his books. And if you persevere with sincerity and intelligence, you will also be advanced and empowered devotees.
Prabhupada states further, “According to Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, distributing literature is like playing on a great mrdanga.” He called the printing press the brhat-mrdanga, the great mrdanga, because an ordinary mrdanga can be heard for a few blocks whereas the brhat-mrdanga, the printing press, the books, can be heard all over the world.
I was the first ISKCON devotee to go to West Africa, Nigeria. I did hari-nama on the streets, and large crowds of people would gather round. Some well-dressed Africans started speaking about the Bhagavad-gita and the philosophy of Krishna consciousness, and I asked, “How do you know all these things? Did you ever meet devotees?” They replied, “No. But we have a friend who met devotees on the street in London, bought some books from them, and then shared them with us.” Even before any devotees had gone to West Africa, Prabhupada’s books had reached there and people were learning about Krishna consciousness.
Sometimes a whole yatra can begin just from books. Once, a tourist from Venezuela visited Israel, met devotees, and got some books from them. Back in Venezuela, he shared the books with his friends. They all started reading, became convinced of the philosophy, began to chant, and started practicing Krishna consciousness without having met any devotees. Eventually they developed a community of devotees and invited Srila Prabhupada, and he went—and it all began with the books.
The brhat-mrdanga can be heard all over the world.
Srila Prabhupada concludes his purport with a request to all of us: “Consequently we always request members of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness to publish as many books as possible and distribute them widely throughout the world. By thus following in the footsteps of Srila Rupa Gosvami, one can become a rupanuga devotee.”
Rupa Gosvami is described as sri-caitanya-mano-’bhistam, sthapitam yena bhu-tale: he established on earth the mission to fulfill the desire of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. And that is done primarily through writing, publishing, and distributing books.
Srila Prabhupada said, “It’s like a train.” In a train, one car pushes—or pulls—the other, the other pushes another, and the other pushes still another. He said, “My guru maharaja is pushing me, and I am pushing all of you.”
Hare Krishna.
Your servant,
Giriraj Swami
Answer Podcast
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[Sunday feast class at ISKCON, Perth, Australia]
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[Bhagavatam class on Srimad-Bhagavatam 03.28.20 at ISKCON, Perth, Australia]
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[Youth meeting at Hindu Samaj of Perth, Australia]
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[Bhagavatam class on Srimad-Bhagavatam 03.28.21 at ISKCON, Perth, Australia]
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The post Go beyond rationality and imagination to revelation for relishing Krishna’s lotus feet appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Prahladananda Das and Vraja Kumari Devi Dasi decided to have their wedding at New Gokula, Millfield. Jayasri devi dasi and Pratapana das, the parents of the bride, organised it very nicely.
A special guest was Indradyumna Maharaja, Vraja’s guru, who gave a stirring speech after the yajna at the dinner table. The event went wonderfully and everyone, especially the bride and groom, was very happy.
Saturday evening in Bucharest.
ISKCON Delhi: Students Dancing and enjoying kirtan… (4 min video)
Srila Prabhupada: The holy name of the Lord and the Lord are nondifferent; therefore when a devotee chants Hare Krishna, Krishna and His internal potency are dancing on the tongue of the devotee. Bhagavad-Gita 12.8 Purport.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/hUcE8R
Marathon The Movie (34 min video)
A movie made by Northern Ireland devotees during Srila Prabhupada’s marathon period.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/4oT3Dr
Included are several new articles. Three are from the current TOVP Tour in Australasia and the other two are general updates, but particularly the new video update produced by Prananatha prabhu is very inspiring. Things just keep getting more ecstatic and we can't stop writing. On the 21st of November we arrived in Brisbane, Australia from New Govardhana and immediately began preparing for the evening TOVP event. Lord Nityananda’s Padukas and Lord Nrsimhadeva’s Sitari were nicely displayed in the temple and, as usual, we had an arati and abhisheka for Them accompanied by ecstatic kirtan.
Over 250 devotees attended the program and sat in rapt attention as Jananivas, Ambarisa, Svaha and Vraja Vilas prabhus talked about the TOVP and the importance of the project for the future of ISKCON and the mission of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. By the Lord’s mercy the total pledges came to $350,000.
We would like to thank the Temple President Jaya Vijay prabhu and his wife Varshana Radhe devi dasi for their dedication and support in making this event a grand success.
To make a donation and sponsor an abhisheka for Sri Sri Radha Madhava’s and/or Lord Nrsimhadeva’s Chakra during the installation ceremony on February 7th, please go here: https://tovp.org/donate/once-in-a-lifetime-chakra-abhisheka-seva-opportunity/
The post TOVP Australasia Tour, Day 6 – Brisban, Australia appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.
Fulfilling Srila Prabhupada’s desires.
Kadamba Kanana Swami: Srila Prabhupada emphasized book distribution and that emphasis will never go away no matter what we do! There was a time when book distribution was THE EMPHASIS of the Hare Krsna movement and there was only a small percentage of devotees who were not part of it. But as time went on, book distribution at one point become a peripheral program – a side program and it lessened as a mainstream focus.
Now in recent years, we see a resurgence of book distribution worldwide, as statistics shows. So as they say, the pendulum swings – it swings from one side to the other BUT Srila Prabhupada’s desires remain valid. Whether our community takes different forms at different historical points in time, Prabhupada’s desires remain as an exceptional source of blessings! We can get such blessings by simply trying to fulfill Srila Prabhupada’s desires!
Therefore, again and again, that will come to the forefront, even if at times the focus shifts a little, still it remains within the boundaries of authorized Vaisnava behavior. If we miss the emphasis which Srila Prabhupada gave or the points that he stressed then we will dry up a little bit. So, therefore, our connection with Srila Prabhupada is extremely important and it must remain a focal point of our movement then our movement will flourish!
In the midst of the lush, green Grihasta Para housing area of ISKCON Mayapur the Sri Mayapur International School is situated. The school campus features an idyllic combination of brick buildings, pathways, and tree-filled grounds, and those living nearby can often hear the children at play, performing kirtan, or practicing mridanga. The Sri Mayapur International […]
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TOVP: More containers from Russia deliver the huge Chakras (Album with photos)
Sadbhuja Das: The November containers from Russia have arrived with the stars, ribbons, and the Nrshimha Dev Chakra.
The Chakra it self is not completed yet, a lot of the welding, cleaning, re-polishing needs to be done and the Nava Yogendras have to be placed around before applying the gold.
We are very pleased with the Chakra and the stars, no alteration has to be made.
This is working out very good, we will update you in early December.
The main mode Chakra will also come, in many pieces because of it’s 7.5 M in diameter.
We all waiting and looking forward to seeing that as well.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/gbHcKM
Festival of the Holy Name - 2017 in New Raman Reti, Alachua (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: The easiest way to control the mind, as suggested by Lord Caitanya, is chanting “Hare Krishna,” the great mantra for deliverance, in all humility. Bhagavad-Gita, 6.34 Purport.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/ZhUWbj
“Trashformations” Student Recycled Art Competition Winners.
Congratulations to Students from BANA and ALA!
Congratulations to the winners of the 19th Annual “Trashformations” Student Art Competition held by the Florida Museum of Natural History! Each project had to be made principally out of recycled items. This was a countywide event in which students from both Bhaktivedanta Academy (BANA) and Alachua Learning Academy (ALA) won prizes. First prize in Middle School division, as well as the Directors Choice award, was given to Karuna Leslie and Champakalata Camacho (BANA). Second Prize in Middle School division was given the 3 students from ALA supervised by art teacher Nilacala Kreitzer. And Third Prize in Middle School division was given to Arora Vrindavan and Kalyani Mwanyalo (BANA). The BANA students were supervised by BANA art teacher Nandapriya Sikdar.
By Saranga Thakur das 200 inmates on death row will get to see the movie “Hare Krishna! the mantra, the movement and the Swami that started it all”. At first the Chaplain seemed reluctant to allow us to show the movie, but with a letter from Yadubara and the years of goodwill we’ve developed, he agreed. His staff have offered advertising and technical help including spreading our posters around to all the buildings and even allowing the movie to be shown to the 200 guys on death row. And excitement is building around the showing of the movie. One of the students was concerned that the posters aren’t up yet so he made some of his own, just to make sure it was sufficiently advertised. Continue reading "Prison Outreach Preaching from ISKCON Alachua
→ Dandavats"
Answer Podcast
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(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 2005, Durban, South Africa, Lecture)
We must chant our sixteen rounds early in the morning and not spread it throughout the day. This is the spirit! There is a big difference when we chant in the morning because throughout the day when we try to chant then we are distracted and interrupted, “Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna… (the phone rings) Yes, I see. Okay, I will call back later! Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna…” And like that, throughout the day we can get caught up in 101 things while chanting our rounds and it can get very difficult!
When chanting, we need to get into a mood of meditation where it is just Krsna and everything else we forget about. For once, let us focus on our eternal relationship with the Supreme Lord. Early mornings are very valuable, very important for that and in the science of devotional service, we know that if we do not rise early in the morning then it will be difficult – our spiritual life may suffer and the real quality will not be there…
[Retreat on Instincts, Impulses, Intelligence at Melbourne, Australia]
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[Retreat on Instincts, Impulses, Intelligence at Melbourne, Australia]
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[Retreat on Instincts, Impulses, Intelligence at Melbourne, Australia]
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The post Understanding how our mind makes us misunderstand 2 – Misunderstanding ourselves appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
[Retreat on Instincts, Impulses, Intelligence at Melbourne, Australia]
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The post Understanding how our mind makes us misunderstand 1 – Misunderstanding ourselves appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
[Bhagavatam class at ISKCON, Perth, Australia]
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[Seminar for docors at Perth, Australia]
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[Hall program at Perth, Australia]
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